Automatic tender for trolley-operating ropes



(No Model.) 2 SheetsShet 1.

O. P. WILSON.

AUTOMATIC TENDER FOR TROLLEY OPERATING HOBBS.

wessesr n: Nomi: PErans co. wonmumo. WASHINGTON, D. c.

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2 O. P. WILSON. AUTOMATIC TENDER FOB. TBOLLBY OPERATING ROPES.

No. 597.159. Patented Jan. 11,1898.

UNITED STATES PATENT price.

CHARLES F. WILSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORIL AUTOMATIC TENDER FOR TROLLEY-OPERATING ROPES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,159, dated January 11, 1898.

Application filed October 1, 1896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. WILsoN, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Tenders for Trol- Icy-Operating Ropes, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to an improvement in automatic tenders for trolley-operating ropes with the object in view of simplifying and rendering more reliable the device for which "United States Letters Patent No. 563,531 were granted. to me on the 7th day of July, 1896.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the device as it appears when attached to the dashboard of a car-platform in use, portions of the car-roof, linewire, trolley-arm, and dashboard being shown. Fig. 2 is a view of the device, in rear elevation, detached from the can. Fig. 3 is atop plan view of the same, showing the manner of attaching it to the dashboard. Fig. @isafront view of the same with the front or outer cap-plate removed to show the actuating-spring. Fig. 5 is a view in transverse section, showing the cap-plate in position; and Fig. 6' is a sectional view taken in the plane of line 6 6 of Fig. 5 and transverse to the axis of the winding-reel and showing the locking and releasing dogs in front elevation.

The operating mechanism is supported in a cylindrical casing A in the form of a thin hoop or band fastened at its rear edge to the periphery of a thicker disk 13, which maybe formed integral therewith, and having at its back a slot b for the, reception of a iiat bar 0, fixed to the face of the dashboard D of the car.

It is desirable to provide means for attaching the automatic tender to and detaching it from the dashboard with great facility as the car shifts its direction of travel along the track, and to this end I provide the thin bar 0, extending horizontally along the face of the dashboard D and spaced therefromjust sufficient to permit the back plate B to be slid over its free end, utilizing for this purpose the same bolt-holes in the dashboard which commonly receive the bolts cl (1 for securing 'Serial No. 607,611. (No model.)

the operating-shaftE in its position. When slid in position, as shown in Figs. 1 3, and 4, it may be temporarily secured upon its support by means of a link 0, adapted to drop into an open slot 0 in the upper edge of the fixed support 0, the said link 0 having a chain connection 0 with the casing of the tender.

The front of the back plate B is provided withan annular flange Z), having on its inner face, at intervals thereon, inwardly-projecting teeth b ,with which the locking and releasin g dogs engage, as will hereinafter more particularly appear.

The back plate B is further provided with a forwardly-extending stub-axle 22 on which is mounted the rope-retaining reel and which I preferably construct as follows: The hub of the reel has a contracted portion F, which fits loosely on the stub-axle U, at that end of the axle in proximity to the back plate 13, and a port-ion F, of greater diameter than the portion F, which forms a cylindrical housing for the reel-actuating spring G and at the same time a bearing for the chain H, which is connected with the lower end of the trolley-operating rope h. The inner flange or side rail is denoted by f and the outer flange or side by f. The former is riveted to that portion of the hub of the reel which connects the portion F of greater diameter with the portion F of lesser diameter, and the side f is riveted to a flange f which projects in a radial direction from the front edge of the portion F of the hub. By means of this structure I am enabled to form the flanges of the reel of thin sheet metal and secure them in position on the hub, while the hub itself may be formed of a heavier material to serve the double purpose of journaling the reel on the axle and at the same time forming a housing for the spring, so as to leave the several parts in positionwhere they may be readily examined and removed.

The spring G has one end connected to a stub-axle and the opposite end to the inte rior of the portion F of the reel-hub, and the reel is secured in its position on the stub-axle by means of a screw g and into the end of the stub-axle b the periphery of the capplate g having a bearing against the front or outer edge of the portion F of the reelhub.

Thereel itselfis located withinthe cylin drical casingoA, and the rope or chain which leads'from the hub otthe reel passes through tubular guide a, which is fixed to and sun rounds au openingin the casing A, thereby I haveshown and-described a chain H in connection with the operating reel-hub, as it in. practice works in many respects better than to continue the rope itself throughthc guide a and ontothe reel-hub; but I wish it" tobe understoodthat the rope itself maybe I continued, if preferred, and take the place'of the chain 11. I

;On therear ofithe inncrside of the flange f of thetrecl the locking and releasing dogs I V II are pivoted in thepresent instance on i are connected to operate i'n'unison by, means a of a link K, which connects the operating end studs i 11?, fixed to the flange fl o The dogs I I rofronewdogwith thetail of the oppositedog.

Todetermine the freedosnwithwhich the ,two dogs shall be thrown outwardly under the centrifugal force due tothe rotary move- 7 ment of the reel, I provide abar or spring is, iixed at one end to the tailqof, the dog L-in ferent rotary adjustmentsby 11162111801 a see pressure of the spring lfirom the stop Z and the present instance bymeansofa slot'in the dog-and a set-screw 7c", engaged with the dog in position to impinge, against the end of the spring within the slot," the said spring having itsufree end, engaged with a stop-pin l on the. disk hich niayfbe locked in difscrew Z, so as rte increase or decrease the thereby retard or relieve the movement of the dogs.

To obviate any liability of breaking or dis arranging the reel-actuating spring Gas, for example,by winding it in the reverse direction from that in which it should be wound I attach it to the axle b in the following manner: In the axle b there is formed a V-shaped notch I), (see Fig. 4,) and the inner end of the spring G is provided with a hook 9 which when the spring G is Wound in the proper direction catches in the notch 5 as shown in Fig. 4, and holds the end of the spring against slipping around the axle; but if the spring should be unintentionally or intentionally Wound in the opposite direction the hook 9 would free itself from the notch 17 and slip around the axle and thereby relieve the strain and prevent the spring from breaking.

For convenience in lubricating the reel I provide a socket 11 extending from the back tin g of additional. bol -holes.

of" the plate toward the frontend of'the axle b andconnected by oneor more lateral passages h with the exterior of the axle within the'p'ortion'F ofthe hub.

In operation as the trolley-arm M vibrates during its travel the spring Gwill rotate the reelin thezdirectionto take up any slack which mayoecnrin the the rope h, and under ordinary circumstances the movement of the *mainwir'e andthe trolleyarmfM be thereby left free to fly upwardlyits forward movement throwof the dogs ll 1 into engagement with 'theteeth on the back-0f thecasing -w0nld be promptly checked bythe outward 1 To remove the tender from one end of the" car to the other requires "simply the removal I of thel-ink c from the supporting-arm O and the sliding ofrthe tender casing off and over the end ofth'e support G and again sliding it onto thesimiiar support at the opposite end ofithe car, "The supports provided for the V tender occupy positions on the dashboards which do not "to any considerable extent 1n- ,terfere with trai'fic, and they'maybe applied to the dashboardswithout requiring the cutable support, a spring-actuated reel mounted on the support, a dog carried bythe reel'and mounted to swing outwardly into engagement with the support and adog-reg'ulating spring consistingof a bar or plate spring carried by of the spring in a lateral direction to increase or diminish its retarding effect upon the dog, substantially as set forth.

2. The trolley-tender, comprising a reel for receiving the trolleyarm-operating rope, means for regulating the rotary movement of the reel and a coil-spring for actuating the reel, the said spring having one of its ends fixed to the hub of the reel and its opposite end engaged with the axle from which the reel rotates,the connection between the spring and the axle being such that the end will be held fast when the spring is drawn in one direction and set free when the spring is drawn in the opposite direction, substantially as set forth.

CHARLES F. WILSON.

Witnesses:

GEORGE BARRY, J r., R. B. SEWARD.

the dog and means for adjusting the free end IOC 

